The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-11-26
THE KISS OF DEATH.
San Francisco Chronicle.

The Santa Cruz ghost, which is en- crossing the attention of citizens of that famous watering place by its midnight revelries, recalls legend of San Juan, in the adjoining county, told the writer many years ago by a narrator no less credible than good old Spanish priest, with whom the writer happened to be staying on a few days visit.
 One morning after breakfast ex- pressed a wish to stroll into the an- cient graveyard attached to the old adobe church of that quaint little Mexican town. The old padre, with the kindness and courtesy characteris- tic of the simple missionary fathers, at once acceded and accompanied the writer, relating as we walked among the graves the brief history of some who lay quietly beneath. "Ilere," he observed, with & quiet smile as he pointed to grave in the middle of the cemetery, "here is grave which the simple old Mexican families around here look upon with unusual interest, if not with actual awe"
 "A murder?"
 "No, no Something much stranger. 1 have tried to combat the idea. and while l would be addressing the peo- pie they would say: ".Si Si Pdtlre." ," They would assent to all Said, but the belief remained and does remain indelibly.
 "A spirit" he went on, ''is said to have appeared to every one buried in that grave and to warn the family whenever any of them is about to pass away.
 It's appearance, which is generally made in the following manner. is be- lieved to be uniformly fatal, being an omen of death to those who arc so unhappy as to meet with it.
 "When funeral takes place the spirit is said to watch the person who remains last in the graveyard, over whom it possesses n fascinating in- 1 fluence.
 "If the person be young man the spirit takes the shape of a fascinating young female, inspires him with a charmed passion and exacts prom ise that he will meet her at the grave yard month from that day. This promise is sealed with a kiss that com municates deadly taint to him who complies.
 "The spirit then disappears No sooner does the person from whom it received the promise and the kiss pass the boundary of the churchyard than he remembers the history of the spec ire. He sinks into despair and in- sanity, and dies. If, on the contrary, the spectre appears to a female, it as- sumes the form of young man of ex- ceeding elegance and beauty"
 The padre showed me the grave ofa young person about eighteen years of age, who was said four months before to have fallen victim to it. "Ten months ago." the father said. "a man gave the promise and the fatal kiss, and consequently looked upon himself as lost He took a fever and died, and was buried on the day appointed for the meeting, which was exactly a month after the fatal interview.
 incredible as 1t may appear, the friends of these two persons solcmnly declared to me that the particulars of the interview were repeatedly detailed by the two persons without the slightest variation.
 "There are several cases of the same kind mentioned, but the two cases alluded to are the only ones that came within my personal knowledge.
 Ut appears, however, that the spec tre does not confine its operations to the graveyard only. There have been instances mentioned of its appearance at weddings and social parties, where it never failed to secure it's victims by dancing them into pleuritic fevers."
 On being questioned as to what he might think of such possible occur rences, the good father simply smiled and shook his head.